PrintSeptember 28, 2009
Rookie Mistakes
The press is all agog over the President leading the UN security council which came out with extremely artfully worded resolution that endorses the eventual goal of "a world without nuclear weapons". That document is so carefully wordsmithed that the 2 most obvious violators of the UN's non proliferation treaty Iran and North Korea weren't mentioned by name. A vaguely worded document from a dysfunctional international agency and the press tells us how much progress is being made. The facts tell a different story, a story of a rookie in way over his head.
Mere weeks ago Obama canceled the missile shield in Eastern Europe, saying a sea based defense that won't be active until years later than the original defense perimeter is a better idea. We are told that the urgency is low because Iran wasn't that close to getting a bomb or a means to deliver it far enough for the planned shield to be of use. Shortly thereafter the world learns that Iran has at least 1 non declared secret site for producing fissionable material and has been operating it secretly for a long time. This has to be the clearest evidence of a stunning intelligence failure (remember the National Intelligence Estimate report of 2007) on the part of the US intelligence agencies after 9/11. One has to assume that these are the same people that are making predictions on Iran's ability to produce a weapons delivery system. Does giving up that missile shield seem like a good idea now?
We are told that giving up the shield is a good gesture to the Russians who wouldn't even stand on the stage at the UN with France, Britain, and the US. Part of the "reset" of US Russian relations. This isn't the only concession given up to the Russians. As reported here Obama has already agreed to voluntarily limit the number of US launch vehicles, while preserving their total nuclear stockpile lead.
The President of the United States is living inside an academic fantasy land, turning a blind eye on the history of disarmament agreements and Russian culture. The truth is that the former Soviet Union outnumbered the US and her allies in terms of conventional weapons and troops. If it wasn't for our ability to play the nuclear card there is no doubt that Soviet tanks would have driven all the way to the English Channel at the slightest provocation. The US superior military technology made up for the lack of man power and tanks. The lesson of strong deterrent and the most technologically advanced military in the world are lost on the President. Obama and his official cheering squad the traditional media have all but forgotten that a strong nuclear arsenal, coupled with a strong military, has kept the world out of WW III and Western Europe free for the last 50 years.
Obama thinks that he can reason with mad men, negotiate with tyrants, and create a nuclear free world. These are all rookie mistakes. While President Bush made rookie mistakes, he learned fast and stuck to his primary duty - protecting The United States of America and her citizens. Imperfect as he was, he wasn't under the illusion that he could change human nature. In the real world mad men need to be cornered and forced to give up their weapons, tyrants need to be deposed, and nuclear weapons coupled with the most advanced military in the world keep a freedom loving people safe from attack.
If Obama wants to play in the big leagues, he's going to have to shed his rookie preconceptions fast. Until then, he's just a rookie who talks a good game. The American people and freedom loving people the world over are still waiting for him to play a good game.
